DREAM THEATER Energized By New Label

July 27, 2007

Larry D. Curtis of Deseret Morning News recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy.

The quintet is touring to support its new album "Systematic Chaos" on a brand-new label, Roadrunner Records. And Portnoy — a driving force behind DREAM THEATER since it formed in 1985 in Boston at the Berklee School of Music — says the band is energized by its move.

"Right now we have the freedom to call our own shots," he said by phone. "When we signed that deal with Atlantic (Records) we were kids, we had no leverage. We found ourselves, finally, after 14 years as free agents."

"Roadrunner is the best label out there for the type of band we are," he said.

And the type of band it is might have been part of the problem for a label that just didn't quite know what to do with such non-conventional music. At times sounding like driving heavy metal and at other times launching into epic songs and concept albums that aren't exactly tailored for the iPod generation, DREAM THEATER can be a tough sell.

"A band like ours can't rely on mainstream outlets," Portnoy said. "We rely on the passion and devotion of our fan base."

One constant over what Portnoy calls the band's "sustained journey" is a level of respect it has always been given by other musicians, even when it didn't quite fit in. "I think the type of music we play, which is sometimes uncool and unfashionable, we were never given much acceptance but we were always respected as serious musicians. Love us or hate us, you can't ignore us."

Read the entire article at DeseretNews.com.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).